I wouldn't say that I've mellowed. I'm less mellow, perhaps.

There's always darkness around, and if you focus on the darkness, you don't know where to go. But if you direct yourself at the light - there it is! It's right there.

I don't want to be owned by a corporation and obliged to make a certain type of album. I want to be free.

It's not fair to compare one artist to another because they all come with their own sort of elements to the picnic, you know.

If you come face to face with some really challenging situations and tragic circumstances - you are going in there with a purpose. You are not going in there as a tourist.

There is a big difference between what I do onstage and what I do in my private life. I don't put my living room on magazine pages.

Life is not quantifiable in terms of age, but I suppose in my fifties I am more grounded and more at ease in my own skin than when I was younger. I have a confidence that I didn't have before from the experiences I've had.